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A rolling green lawn requires countless hours spent laboring with seeding, watering, aerating and mowing. All this labor and all the beauty of the lawn is lost, however, if even a few crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) weeds pop up in the lawn. This annual lawn weed grows in a prostrate clump, spreading over grass and choking out desirable turf. Crabgrass dies back over winter, but it can drop seeds that remain viable and germinate in spring in summer. Though certainly tedious, you should remove all dead crabgrass, simultaneously removing the seeds to help control the crabgrass problem.

1

Water the dead crabgrass the day before to soften the soil and make it easier to remove the weeds.

2

Grasp the dead crabgrass firmly by the base of the plant and pull it out of the ground, removing all of the roots, if possible.

3

Push a sharp spade straight down in the soil around the crabgrass to loosen the roots. Pull up the crabgrass with the root ball intact. This method might prove more effective for larger plants, larger weed problems or when pulling by hand proves an ineffective method to pull up all the roots.

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4

Rake through the affected areas, using a broom rake or thatch rake, in order to remove any remaining dead plant material or thatch buildup around the grass.

5

Spread a 1/2-inch layer of finished compost over the bare spaces where you removed the crabgrass. Cut a piece of sod to fit the space and set it in place on top of the compost. Unless you need large strips, you can cut a bit of sod from an inconspicuous area, such as the edge of a flower bed. Cut through the sod using a spade, cutting deep enough to include the grass roots. Use a sharp knife to cut a larger sod strip into smaller pieces.

Things Needed

Spade

Bow rake or thatch rake

Finished compost

Sod

Knife

Tips

A single crabgrass plant features multiple leaf blades all originating from a central whorl. The leaves are somewhat flat and the seeds form in rows along feathery branch tips, with up to 150,000 seeds from a single plant. The three common crabgrass species to affect lawns include hairy crabgrass (D. sanguinalis), southern crabgrass (D. ciliaris) and smooth crabgrass (D. ischaemum).

About the Author

A former cake decorator and competitive horticulturist, Amelia Allonsy is most at home in the kitchen or with her hands in the dirt. She received her Bachelor's degree from West Virginia University. Her work has been published in the San Francisco Chronicle and on other websites.